Firearm



June l, M943. R. E. cLARKsON 21.329348 FIREARMS v Filed Jan. s1, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 1 s Ef V? M Ww a N5 QM.

.Num l, 1943., R. E. cLARKsoN FIREARMS Filed Jan. 251, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June l, 1943 UNHTED STATES P'ENT OFFICE FIREARM Ralph E. Clarkson, Hamden, Conn., assignor to Western Cartridge Company,

New Haven,

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in firearms and more particularly relates to a construction and arrangement of parts whereby the breach-bolt and associated parts (commonly referred to as the firearm-action) are returned to their normal position after being operated by forces developed by the discharge of the firearm.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a rearm with a superior construction and arrangement of parts whereby the breech-bolt and associated parts are returned to their normal positions after having been operated by the discharge of the firearm preparatory to again discharging the firearm.

Another object of thev present invention is to provide a superior firearm in which the breechbolt-return spring and associated parts, acting to return the breech-bolt, etc., to their normal positions, may be of suiiicient length to function substantially uniformly and which may be conveniently accommodated within the buttstock of the firearm without requiring undue lengthening of the buttstock or receiver.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic firearm with a superior construction and arrangement of parts whereby the action-slide and breech-bolt may be removed from and replaced in the firearm-structure without undue interference by the breech-bolt-return spring and in which the said breech-bolt-return spring may remain organized with the firearmstructure upon the removal of the said actionslide and breech-bolt.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes all features in the said disclosure which are novel ovel` the prior art and which are not claimed in any separate application.

In the accompanying drawings, in which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a broken View partly in side elevation and partly in vertical central-longitudinal section of the rear portion of an automatic firearm constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding view but showing the breech-bolt and the action-slide, together with their associated parts. in the positions which they assume immediately following the discharge of the rearm and the movement of the said breech-bolt into its rearwardly-retired position:

Fig. 3 is a broken horizontal sectional View taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a broken view in side elevation of the action-slide detached;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the action-slide follower detached;

Fig, '7 is a similar but broken view of the rear portion of the stem of the action-slide; and

Fig. 8 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3 but showing the breech-bolt-return spring and associated parts in the positions they assume when the action-slide is demounted or disassembled from the rearm-structure.

The particular automatic firearm herein chosen for the purpose of illustrating the present invention includes a receiver I0 having rigidly secured to its forward end, the rear end of a forwardly-extending barrel II having the usual axial bore through which the projectiles are forwardly propelled in the usual manner of firearms. Attached to the receiver IB and the barrel II is a stock I2 preferably formed of wood or the like and which includes a buttstock portion I3.

Secured to the underside of the receiver l is 'a trigger-plate I4 provided with the usual looplike trigger-guard I5, in which is located the finger-piece I6 of a trigger Il by means of which the iirearm may be discharged in any suitable mannen and forming a usual part of the iirecontrol mechanism of the firearm.

Extending obliquely with respect to the axis of the barrel I I is a reciprocating action-slide I8 which is guided by a downwardly-facing guide-surface I9 formed on the receiver Iii and a parallel upwardly-facing guide-surface 29 formed on the trigger-plate lll. 1n addition to being guided by the guide-surfaces I9 and 28 just referred to, the action-slide I8 is retained against lateral outward displacement by a retaining-arm 2l extending downwardly from the sidewall of the receiver I 0 and having an upwardly-facing guide-ledge 22 formed on its inner face and coacting with the under edge o the said action-slide I8.

The action-slide I8 may be moved rearwardly in any suitable manner, such, for instance, as by a gas-operated piston as is shown in copending application Serial No. 313,650, led January 13, 1940. The said action-slide has nivotally attached to it, adjacent its rear end. the lower end of a bolt-operating link 23 which has its upper end pivotally connected to the rear portion of a breechbo1t 24 mounted for tilting and longitudinal reciprocating movement within the receiver I0.

The rear end of the receiver I is provided with a threaded bore arranged axially in line with the path of reciprocation of the actionslide i8. Threaded into the bore 25 in the receiver' I Il is the threaded terminal 26 at the forward end of a tubular receiver-extension 21. Immediately to the rear of its threaded terminal 26 the receiver-extension 21 is provided on its outer periphery with an annular stop-flange 28 which is seated against the rear end of the receiver I9 to locate the said fitting with respect to the said receiver. The receiver-extension 21 is accommodated in a bore 29 longitudinally formed in the buttstock portion I3 of the stock I2 and which extends rearwardly therethrough opening through the rear face thereof.

The rear end of the tubular receiver-extension fitting 21 is internally threaded to threadedly receive the externally-threaded portion of a plug-member 36 provided with an annular stopange 3i. The inner or forward face of the flange 3l of the plug-member 30 is seated against the rear edge of the receiver-extension 21 and serves to position or locate the said plug-member with respect to the receiver-extension 21. Axially formed in the plug-member 36 is a threaded bore 32 receiving the threaded terminal 33 of a stock-attaching screw 34 extending rearwardly from the plug-member axially in alignment with the tting 21.

The stock-attaching screw 34 passes through a passage 35 formed in a butt-plate 36 and is provided with a conically-contoured kerfed head 31 seated in a similar1y`shaped recess 38 in the butt-plate 36 in axial alignment with the passage 35 therein. The butt-plate 36 is located against the rear face of the buttstock portion I3 of the stock I2 as is clearly shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3. The stock-attaching screw 34 serves to hold the upper portion of the said butt-plate 36 in place and the lower portion of the said butt-plate is retained against the rear face of the buttstock portion I3 by means of a screw 39. The stock-attaching screw 34 also serves to securely and rigidly couple the buttstock portion I3 of the stock I2 to the receiver I6 through the intermediary of the tubular receiver-extension 21.

At its forward end the tubular receiver-extension 21 is formed with an inwardly-extending annular flange 40 providing a rearward1yfacing stop-shoulder 4I and an axial guide-passage 40a. The stop-shoulder 4I just referred to, is adapted upon occasion to be engaged by a forwardlyfacing annular stop-shoulder 42 constituting the forward face of an annular bearing-flange 43 r.

provided at the rear end of a cup-shaped reciproeating action-slide follower 44. The said follower has bearing in and extends forwardly through erally designated by the reference character 41, and having a rear large-diametered portion 48.

The rear large-diametered portion 48 of the breech-bolt-rcturn spring 41 is located in the hollow interior of the tubular receiver-extension 21 with its rear end seated against the forward face of the plug-member 3B. The external diameter of the rear portion 48 of the helical breech-bolt-return spring 41 is such as to slide freely within the interior of the receiver-extension 21 and the forward portion 46 of the said the guide-passage 46a of the receiver-extension 21 as is particularly well shown in Fig. 3.

The outer diameter of the bearing-flange 43 of the cup-shaped action-slide follower 44 is such as to engage the inner surface of the receiver-ex tension Z1 with a free sliding t. The said bearing-flange 43 is accommodated within the hollow interior of the tubular receiver-extension 21, as is clearly shown in the drawings, The actionslide follower 44 normally projects forwardly with a free sliding t through the guide-passage 46a of the receiver-eXtension 21, as shown in Figs. l and The said action-slide follower 44 is provided with an axially-extending and rearwardlyopening spring-receiving pocket 45 receiving the forward small-diametered portion 46 of a twodametered helical breech-bolt-return spring genspring is freely slidable within the spring-receiving pocket 45 in the cup-shaped action-slide follower 44 with its forward end seated against the end wall of the said pocket.

As thus constructed and arranged, the breechbolt-return spring 41 is jointly housed within the tubular receiver-extension 21 and the cupshaped action-slide follower 44 in such manner that the thrust of the said spring tends to urge the said follower forwardly with respect to the said receiver-extension. The forward movement of the action-slide follower 44 is normally limited by the action-slide I8 in the position in which the parts are shown in Fig. 3 in particular. If, however, the action-slide I8 is removed from the gun structure, the forward movement of the action-slide follower 44 will be limited by the engagement of its forwardly-facing stop-shoulder 42 with the rearwardly-facing stop-shoulder 4I of the receiver-extension 21. The engagement of the respective stop-shoulders as just referred to effectively checks the action-slide follower 44 from moving forwardly beyond a predetermined point or from being axially separated from the receiver-extension 21 under the forward urge of the breech-bolt-return spring 41.

For the purpose of supporting the forward end of the action-slide follower 44 against lateral deection, the same is provided with a forwardly-extending tenon 49 normally extending into a rearwardly-opening axial socket 50 formed in the rear of a stem 5I formed integral with and projecting rearwardly from the action-slide I8 before referred to.

The external diameter of the stem 5I of the action-slide I8 is preferably the same as the external diameter of the action-slide follower 44 so as to slide freely into the interior of the tubular receiver-extension 21 through the axial guide-passage 40a thereof when the parts are moved into the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 2.

For convenience of description, the breech-bolt 24, together with its associated parts including the action-slide I8, may be considered as constituting the so-called action of the firearm herein chosen for illustrating the present invention, in accordance with well understood terminology in the rearm art.

When the action-slide I8 is moved rearwardly, following the discharge of the firearm, to correspondingly move the breech-bolt 24 to effect the extraction and ejection of the just-fired cartridge,

- the action-slide follower 44 will be bodily moved rearwardly into the interior of the tubular receiver-extension 21 to compress the breech-boltreturn spring 41. Under the conditions just described, the major portion of the stem 5I at the rear of the action-slide I3 will also be projected into the interior of the receiver-extension 21, at which time the parts will have completed their movements from the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 1. to the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 2.

Afterrearward force upon the action-slide' I8 is relaxed, the breech-bolt-return spring 41 will assert itself to restore the parts to the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 1, and thereby insert a fresh cartridge into the firearm preparatory to the same being again discharged.

In the event that it should be desirable to remove the action-slide from the firearm-structure, the bolt-operating link 23 may be disconnected from the said action-slide I8 permitting the latter to be moved forwardly to clear the retaining-arm 2l, after which the said action-slide may be removed from the firearm-structure. When released, after the removal of the actionslide I8 as just referred to, the action-slide follower 44 will be unhindered in its forward movement by the said action-slide and hence will move forwardly until its forwardly-facing stop-shoulder 42 abuts against the rearwardly-facing stopshoulder 4I of the receiver-extension 21. The parts will now have assumed the positions in which they are indicated especially well in Fig. 8.

It will thus be apparent that by the construction and arrangement of the parts herein shown and described, the breech-bolt-return spring 41 is prevented from moving forwardly out of its position in the receiver-extension 21 and that upon the removal of the action-slide I8, the said breech-bolt-return spring and its associated parts remain a corporate part of the receiver of the firearm. By preventing the separation of the breech-bolt-return spring and the action-slide follower from the receiver-extension 21, the sudden unlimited longitudinal expansion of the said breech-bolt-return spring is prevented, thus eliminating the danger of too sudden separation of the parts and the hindrances offered by an unconned spring during the removal and reinstallation of the action-slide, etc.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A firearm-structure including in combination: an action-slide movable longitudinally of the firearm-structure; a receiver; a breech-bolt movable in the said receiver and operatively connected to the said action-slide; a stock attached to the said receiver and having a passage in its butt-portion; a tubular receiver-extension projecting rearwardly from the said receiver into the passage in the said stock, the said tubular receiver-extension having an open forward end attached to the said receiver and provided with a rearwardly-facing stop-abutment; a cup-shaped plunger slidably mounted in the said tubular receiver-extension having a spring-receiving pocket smaller in diameter than and rearwardly opening into the interior of the said receiver-extension, the said plunger also having a forwardlyfacing stop-abutment engageable with the rearwardly-facing stop-abutment of the said tubular receiver-extension to limit the forward movement of the plunger, the said plunger being operatively associated with the said action-slide to urge the same forwardly; and a two-diametered helical breech-closing spring having a relatively-largediametered rear portion located in the said tubular receiver-extension and having a relativelysmall-diametered forward portion extending into the .spring-receiving pocket of the said cupshaped plunger.

2. A firearm-structure including in combination: an action-slide movable longitudinally of the firearm-structure; a receiver; a breech-bolt movable in the said receiver and operatively connected to the said action-slide; a stock attachedvto the said receiver and having a passage in its butt-portion; a tubular receiver-extension projecting rearwardly from the said receiver into the passage in the said stock, the said tubular receiver-extension having an open forward endl attached to the said receiver and provided with a rearwardly-facing stop-abutment; a cupshaped plunger slidably mounted in the said tubular'receiver-extension having a spring-receiving pocket smaller in diameter than and rearwardly opening into the interior of the said receiver-extension, the said plunger also having a forwardly-facing stop-abutment engageable with the rearwardly-facing stop-abutment of the said tubular receiver-extension to limit the forward movement of the plunger, the said plunger being operatively associated with the said action-slide to urge the same forwardly; a two-diametered helical breech-closing spring having a relatively-large-diametered rear p0rtion located in the said tubular receiver-extension and having a relatively-small-diametered forward portion extending into the spring-receiving pocket of the said cup-shaped plunger; and a telescopically-intertting socket-andtenon connection between the said cup-shaped plunger and the said action-slide to laterally stabilize each thereof with respect to the other and to permit their axial separation.

3. A firearm-structure including in combination: a receiver; a breech-bolt movable in the said receiver; a stock attached to the said receiver and having a passage in its butt-portion; a tubular receiver-extension projecting rearwardly from the said receiver into the passage in the said stock, the said tubular receiver-extension having an open forward end defined by a substantially-annular inwardly-projecting stop-hange; a cup-shaped plunger slidably mounted in the said tubular receiver-extension and rearwardly opening thereinto and having adjacent its open rear end an outwardly-projecting substantially-annular stop-flange engageable with the inwardly-projecting stopflange of the said tubular extension to limit the forward movement of the plunger; a two-diametered helical breech-closing spring having a relatively-large-diametered rear portion located in the said tubular receiver-extension and having a relatively-small-diametered forward portion extending into the interior of the said cupshaped plunger; and an action-slide operatively connected to the said breech-bolt for shifting the same and positioned to be engaged by the said cup-shaped plunger for being moved forwardly thereby.

4. A firearm-structure including in combination: a receiver; a breech-bolt movable in the said receiver; a stock attached to the said receiver and having a passage in its butt-portion; a tubular receiver-extension projecting rearwardly from the said receiver into the passage in the said stock, the said tubular receiver-ex tension having an open forward end defined by a substantially-annular inwardly-projecting stop-flange; a cup-shaped plunger slidably mounted in the said tubular receiver-extension and rearwardly opening thereinto and having adjacent its open rear end an outwardly-projecting substantia11y-annular stop-flange engageable with the inwardly-projecting stopange of the said tubular extension to limit the forward movement of the plunger; a two-diametered helical breech-closing spring having a relatively-large-diametered rear portion located in the said tubular receiver-extension and having a relatively-small-diametered forward portion extending into the interior of the said oupshaped plunger; an action-slide operatively connected to the said breech-bolt for shifting the same; and a telesCopically-intertting socketand-tenon connection between the said cupshaped plunger and the said action-slide.

RALPH E. CLARKSON. 

